1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to microphone controls in general, and in particular to a method for providing a mute control function in a computer to which multiple microphones are connected.
2. Description of Related Art
In audio devices, a mute (silencing) control is generally utilized to prevent audio signals from being output as sound via speakers. A laptop personal computer (laptop PC) is commonly equipped with audio devices such as speakers or microphones. Among the audio devices connected to the laptop PC, the mute control function has been performed on speakers only. In a laptop PC, speakers are used for output of audio signals generated by various audio application programs operating in the laptop PC. When speakers are connected to the laptop PC, the respective applications are able to share one or more speakers to output respective audio signals through the shared speakers. The laptop PC typically has a mute button for controlling mute function. When the mute button is pressed, none of the applications will be able to output audio signals through speakers.
An operating system (OS) such as Windows Vista® provides a window called an audio mixer, which is a user interface, to allow for a mute control of speakers. The audio mixer includes a slider (i.e., parent slider) or trackbar for volume control and an operation button (i.e., a parent button) for mute control so as to correspond to a main speaker or each of respective external speakers. Moreover, whenever a new application is started, a slider (i.e., child slider) and an operation button (i.e., a child button) corresponding to the application are added in the audio mixer window.
If a user “mouse-clicks” on an icon of a parent button when the respective audio data of various applications are output through one speaker, the icon of the parent button is changed to a mute state, and the icons of all child buttons are also changed to the mute state, whereby sound output through the speakers is stopped. When the user “mouse-clicks” the parent button again, the icon of the parent button and the icons of all child buttons are changed to an unmute state and sound is output through the speakers again. When the user “mouse-clicks” a certain child button in a state where the parent button and all child buttons are in the mute state, the parent button and the clicked child button are changed to the unmute state, and audio data from a corresponding application are output through the speakers.
When the parent buttons are in the unmute state, by clicking the respective child buttons one by one, it is possible to designate only the corresponding application into the mute or unmute state. A child button of an application newly started in the mute state of the parent button will be in the same mute state as the parent button, and the audio data of that application will not be output through speakers. A child button of an application newly started in the unmute state of the parent button will be in the same unmute state as the parent button, and the audio data of that application will be output through speakers.
A volume control enables the operation of respective child sliders independently with a mouse to control the volume of audio signals from the corresponding application. Moreover, when the parent slider is operated by mouse dragging, all child sliders are moved along with the mouse dragging. For example, when the parent slider is set to 100% and two child sliders are set to 50% and 40%, respectively, if the parent slider is changed to 50%, the child sliders will be changed to 25% and 20%, respectively. Such mute control and volume control can be performed for each speaker.
According to one prior art technique, a mute group is set for certain channels selected from the plural channels, and a mute volume level is set for the mute group by an imaginary group master on/off switch displayed in an LCD on a console.
According to another prior art technique, when a headphone is connected to one of a group of surround speakers that are connected to an audio signal transmitting apparatus, the audio signal transmitting apparatus is able to acquire information that a headphone is connected thereto. Moreover, when the audio signal transmitting apparatus acquires the information that one of the group of surround speakers is connected thereto, the audio signal transmitting apparatus is able to control speakers thereof so as to stop (mute) an external output from the speakers. In addition, when the audio signal transmitting apparatus acquires the information that one of the group of surround speakers is connected thereto, the audio signal transmitting apparatus is able to control speaker units of other surround speakers so as to stop an external output from the speaker units.
Also, whether audio signals received by an audio signal receiving apparatus will be output as an external output or a headphone output is controlled using CH mapping information generated by the audio signal transmitting apparatus. When the number of external connection apparatuses being connected to the audio signal transmitting apparatus is updated or an operation state of the external connection apparatus being connected is changed, the CH mapping information used presently is changed.
The present disclosure describes a method for providing a mute control function for multiple microphones that are connected to a computer.